Devon Conway to miss first Test against Australia due to injury
New Zealand will be without Devon Conway for the first Test against Australia starting on Thursday. The left-handed batter is still nursing an injury he sustained on his left thumb during the T20I series against Australia only.
The team management has given a call-up to Henry Nicholls as part of replacement for Conway.
According to reports, Will Young will likely take up the vacated spot at the top of the order. Australia whitewashed hosts New Zealand in the three-match T20I series, which concluded on Sunday. Both the teams will now face-off in a two-match Test series, with the first match scheduled to be held in Wellington while the second encounter set to take place in Christchurch for March 8.
Coach disappointed on Conway’s absence
New Zealand coach Gary Stead expressed his disappointment on Conway’s absence for the crucial Test match against the Aussies. The head coach said that he felt sad on losing a player of Conway’s class for the important ICC World Test Championship contest that begins in Wellington on Thursday
“It’s disappointing for Devon to be ruled out on the eve of an important match, Stead said. He’s a class player batting at the top of the order for us and I know he was really looking forward to this series.”
Henry Nicholls is an experienced campaigner when it comes to Test matches, as he has played as many as 56 red-ball games. He most probably can come into contention for the role as opener but the final call would be taken on the match day as Young is already in queue for the same. New Zealand currently leads the way on the World Test Championship standings with a 75 percent win-loss percentage, while Australia are currently third with a 55 percent win-loss percentage.
Test squad: Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Henry Nicholls Matt Henry, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Neil Wagner (retired), Kane Williamson, Will Young
